The Purpose of Miss Shepley

Chapter Twelve

The Treachery of the Wolves

Near Midsummer in the Year 509 of the Common Reckoning, High King Alward of Fridric, grown nearly to Manhood at the age of 20, was presumed drowned to death in the Stanbourne River. Osbert, Earl of Fyric witnessed a struggle between High King Alward and Eadmund, King of Wulfsig, after which Wulfsig fled into the woods. A fine linen shirt washed to shore downriver, but the King's body was never found.

Osbert, Earl of Fyric, and His Excellency Lord Everett Richards, Duke of Everfirth called for the arrest of Eadmund, King of Wulfsig on suspicion of murder. Wulfsig claimed his innocence and was sheltered by the Wulfric.

The Earls of the Baelgast summoned the peoples to Gather at Baelham at Midsummer 509. In attendance were: Osbert, Earl of Fyric; the Dukes of the Ethelfolk: His Excellency Lord Everett Richards, His Excellency Lord Hedley Clark and His Excellency Lord Charles Winston; and the Wulfspreca: Gydhreda, Queen of Randulf; Liefbrun, King of Aginwulf; and Richeard, King of Wulfgar. The Drihtrafn sent no answer.

During the Gathering, a fire burned in Baelham Castle, and the East Tower collapsed. His Excellency Lord Everett Richards alone escaped, with grave injuries. The Wulfspreca had not yet arrived.

His Excellency Lord Everett Richards testified the Wulfspreca were guilty of arson and murder of the Earl of Fyric and the Dukes of the Ethelfolk. The Wulfspreca were taken and held in Baelham.

At Midwinter 509, the Earls of the Baelgast declared the High Throne in Abeyance and demanded the surrender of Eadmund, King of Wulfsig by Midsummer 510 or else forfeit the Wulfspreca and all Peace with the Baelgast.

The Wulfric refused to surrender Eadmund of Wulfsig. At Midsummer 510 CR, the Wulfspreca were executed, and the Baelgast declared war on the Wulfric.

(Excerpt from An History of the Peacetroth and the Peoples of the Trothlands as recorded by Aethelred of Caxton, and amended so as to include Events of Recent History by Alfred Caxtonson, Esq.)

.:.

We left early the next morning. The western sky was still blue with twilight when the footman came to collect me.

The Grimmonds said their goodbyes with a brevity that was evidently disproportionate to their feelings -- Temperance actually wept. Even Stan, red-eyed and pale, dragged himself from his bed to shake my hand as I passed a servant's corridor.

He said, "I hope we see you again soon, Miss."

And I answered, "I hope so, too" -- which was entirely true, though, for some reason, it felt like a lie.

The carriage rolled through the gates of Oakhurst Court not many minutes later, turning to continue westward along the North Road. It would have been faster and probably cheaper to take the little spur road running due south to the Post Road, but Grandfather had insisted we shun the Post Road as much as we could, on principle.

And so we continued more or less along the course of the Grassbeck, plodding upward through hills ever sharper and steeper.

There were fewer and fewer trees as we climbed upward -- just crabbed black oaks in ones and twos -- and jagged slices of rock cut through the earth here, protruding through the grasses like the rusted blades I sometimes found near Able's keep.

Eventually, the grasslands gave way entirely to sheer walls of rough gray stone. They were quite alive, in their own way, hard and unwelcoming as they were. Velvety moss thrived among the shadows; every niche and nook brimmed over with tufty shrubs and wildflowers in red and purple and yellow; and little striving trees clung to ledges, reaching out as far as they could for sunlight.